JPWO2020122074A1 - Rotor for tablet cassette and tablet cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

The rotor (4) is rotatably housed in a cassette body (3) that houses the tablets. The rotor is formed between the inclined inner surface (6a) of the cassette body and the inclined outer surface (22a) of the rotor, and a plurality of tablet guide paths (4b) for guiding the tablets contained in the cassette body to the tablet discharge holes (7). ). The rotor is provided above the tablet discharge hole of the cassette body, and is provided on the tablet guideway with a partition member (8) for partitioning between the lowermost tablet and the upper tablet in the tablet guideway, and is provided so as to be able to move up and down the tablet. A tablet support (53) that supports the lowest tablet in the guideway and a height adjustment unit (50) that raises and lowers the tablet support to adjust the tablet discharge height between the tablet support and the partition member. Be prepared. The height adjusting unit raises and lowers the tablet support base along the tablet guide path in a direction inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the rotor.

Description

The present invention relates to a tablet cassette provided in a tablet storage and dispensing device, the rotor of a tablet cassette for storing a large number of tablets and taking out a required number of tablets according to a prescription, and a tablet cassette using the rotor.

Tablet storage and dispensing devices installed in dispensing pharmacies and hospitals can automatically, quickly, reliably and safely provide tablets according to prescriptions to many patients. There are many shapes and sizes of tablets such as round, oval, spherical, capsule, and sugar-coated, but it is desirable that the tablet storage and dispensing device can dispense as many types of tablets as possible.

The tablet storage and dispensing device includes a large number of tablet cassettes capable of storing and dispensing different types of tablets. Each tablet cassette includes a cassette body for storing tablets and a rotor rotatably arranged on the bottom of the cassette body. When the rotor rotates, the tablets in the cassette body are sequentially guided to a plurality of tablet guide paths formed in the rotor, and when each tablet guide path coincides with the tablet discharge hole of the cassette body, the tablet guide path is at the bottom of the tablet guide path. The tablet and the tablet above it are separated by a partition member, and only the lowest tablet is discharged from the tablet discharge hole.

In Patent Document 1, the applicant of the present application describes the width and depth of the tablet guideway of the rotor and the height from the tablet support provided at the lower part of the tablet guideway to the partition member according to the size, shape and type of the tablet. We are proposing a rotor for tablet cassettes that can be changed. As shown in FIG. 23, the surface on the rotor side of the tablet guide path 201 of the rotor 200 of Patent Document 1 in the depth direction is formed by the inclined outer surface 202a of the rotor body 202 that can be raised and lowered with respect to the rotation axis of the rotor 200. It is inclined so as to face the inverted conical inclined inner surface 203a of the cassette body 203. Further, the tablet support base 204 is provided at the tip of the arm 207 of the elevating member 206 that is screwed into the screw portion on the outer circumference of the cylindrical rotating member 205.

As shown in FIGS. 23A, 23B, and 23C, when the rotor body 202 is moved up and down in the direction of the rotation axis of the rotor 200, the inclined inner surface 203a of the cassette body 203 and the inclined outer surface 202a of the rotor body 202 The distance between them changes, and the depth of the tablet guide path 201 can be adjusted according to the thickness of the tablet. Further, when the rotating member 205 is rotated, the elevating member 206 moves up and down, and the tablet support base 204 moves in the rotation axis direction of the rotor 200 accordingly, and the distance between the tablet support base 204 and the partition member 208 is set to the tablet. It can be adjusted according to the height of.

The cassette body 203 facing the inclined outer surface 202a of the rotor body 202 of Patent Document 1 is an inclined inner surface 203a, but the lower portion of the cassette body 203 is provided so that the arm 207 of the elevating member 206 can move up and down in the rotation axis direction of the rotor 200. It has a cylindrical surface 203b. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 23C, when the arm 207 of the elevating member 206 is in the lowest position, the space S between the upper surface of the tablet support base 204 and the cylindrical surface 203b of the cassette body 203 increases. .. The lowest tablet of the tablet guide path 201 enters the increased space S, and the upper end of the tablet does not match the position of the partition member 208, so that the second tablet interferes with the partition member 208 and becomes clogged, and the rotor It could interfere with 200 rotations.

Patent No. 6222414

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and provides a rotor for a tablet cassette and a tablet cassette capable of preventing a tablet from being clogged in a tablet guide path regardless of the elevating position of the tablet support. The task is to do.

As a means for solving the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is a rotor rotatably housed in a cassette body containing tablets, which is formed between an inclined inner surface of the cassette body and an inclined outer surface of the rotor. , A tablet guide path for guiding the tablet contained in the cassette body to the tablet discharge hole provided in the cassette body, and a lowermost tablet guide path provided above the tablet discharge hole in the cassette body. A partition member for partitioning between the tablet and the upper tablet, a tablet support pedestal provided on the tablet guide path so as to support the lowermost tablet of the tablet guide path, and the tablet support pedestal can be raised and lowered. In a rotor provided with a height adjusting mechanism for adjusting the tablet discharge height between the tablet support and the partition member, the height adjusting mechanism tilts the tablet support with respect to the rotation axis of the rotor. It is configured to move up and down along the tablet guide path in the desired direction.

In the present invention, even if the tablet support rises along the tablet guide path in a direction inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the rotor, the space between the upper surface of the tablet support and the inner surface of the cassette body does not increase. Absent. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the tablet from being clogged in the tablet guide path regardless of the elevating position of the tablet support.

The height adjusting mechanism includes a rotatable rotating member in which a spiral guide with which the tablet support is engaged is formed on an outer peripheral surface, and the tablet support is supported from both sides and the tablet support serves as the spiral guide. A support member that prevents movement along the same, and a height adjusting member that rotates the rotating member and raises and lowers the tablet support base engaged with the spiral guide in a direction inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the rotor. , Are preferably provided.

The rotating member preferably has an inverted conical outer peripheral surface.

The support member has an inverted conical shape that covers the outside of the rotating member, and a slit is formed from which the tablet support base protrudes. The slit extends along the tablet guide path and supports the tablet support base from both sides. It is preferable to do so.

It is preferable that the height adjusting member has a drive gear that meshes with a driven gear formed on the inner peripheral surface of the rotating member and can be operated from the outside.

The rotor includes a lower base, an operation base, and an upper base, the support member is fixed to the lower base, the operation base is fixed to the support member, and the upper base is fixed to the operation base. Is preferable.

The height adjusting mechanism includes a first rotating member, a plurality of second rotating members formed with male threads that rotate in conjunction with the first rotating member and screw the tablet support, and the tablet support. A support member that supports the tablet support from both sides to prevent the tablet support from rotating around the second rotating member, and the first rotating member is rotated and the second rotation is performed via the first rotating member. It is preferable to include a height adjusting member that rotates the shaft member and raises and lowers the tablet support base in a direction inclined with respect to the rotation shaft of the rotor.

Further, as another means for solving the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is a rotor rotatably housed in a cassette body for storing tablets, and has an inclined inner surface of the cassette body and an inclined outer surface of the rotor. A tablet guide path formed between them and guiding a tablet contained in the cassette body to a tablet discharge hole provided in the cassette body, and a tablet guide path provided above the tablet discharge hole of the cassette body. A partition member for partitioning between the lowermost tablet and the upper tablet, a tablet support that is provided up and down on the tablet guide and supports the lowest tablet in the tablet guide, and the tablet support. In a rotor provided with a height adjusting mechanism for adjusting the tablet discharge height between the tablet support and the partition member by raising and lowering, the height adjusting mechanism raises and lowers the tablet support from the inclined outer surface. It is configured to be raised and lowered so that the amount of protrusion is constant regardless of the raising and lowering position of the tablet support.

According to the present invention, even if the tablet support rises along the tablet guide in a direction inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the rotor, the space between the upper surface of the tablet support and the inner surface of the cassette body increases. It is possible to prevent the tablet from being clogged in the tablet guide path regardless of the elevating position of the tablet support.

Partial cross-sectional perspective view of a tablet cassette equipped with a rotor and a motor base according to the present invention. A partial cross-sectional side view of the tablet cassette of FIG. A perspective view (a) seen from above and a perspective view (b) seen from below of the rotor. An exploded perspective view of the rotor. Overall perspective view of the depth adjustment mechanism. A perspective view seen from below the cover. An exploded perspective view showing the components of the depth adjustment mechanism. A perspective view seen from below the base of the elevating member. Perspective view from below of the upper base. A perspective view (a) seen from above and a perspective view seen from below of the operation base. Overall perspective view of the height adjustment mechanism. An exploded perspective view showing the components of the height adjustment mechanism as viewed from above. An exploded perspective view showing the components of the height adjustment mechanism as viewed from below. Perspective view of the tablet support. A front view (a) and a bottom view (b) showing the arrangement state of the tablet support base. Overall perspective view of the width adjustment mechanism. The perspective view which shows the component part of the width adjustment mechanism. A perspective view showing the width adjusting member, the first support member, and the second support member as viewed from below. A plan view (a) and a bottom view (b) showing the operation of the width adjusting member. Partial cross-sectional side view (a) of the tablet cassette in which the depth, height, and width of the tablet guide are adjusted for small tablets, and the depth, height, and width of the tablet guide for large tablets. (B) is a partial cross-sectional side view of the tablet cassette adjusted to. A partial cross-sectional side view of a tablet cassette showing the operation of a tablet support. Partial cross-sectional side view of a tablet cassette with a height adjusting mechanism of another embodiment. Partial cross-sectional side view of a tablet cassette with a conventional height adjustment mechanism.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a tablet cassette 1 mounted on a tablet storage / dispensing device. The tablet cassette 1 includes a cassette main body 3 provided on the motor base 2 and a rotor 4 according to the present invention housed in the cassette main body 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cassette main body 3 is composed of a tablet accommodating portion 5 capable of accommodating a large number of tablets T and a rotor accommodating portion 6 provided below the tablet accommodating portion 5 and accommodating a rotor 4. ing. The upper end of the tablet storage portion 5 is open and can be opened and closed with a lid (not shown). The rotor accommodating portion 6 has an inverted conical upper inclined inner surface 6a, a cylindrical lower vertical inner surface 6b, and a bottom surface 6c. A tablet discharge hole 7 is formed in the lower portion of the upper inclined inner surface 6a. The tablet discharge hole 7 communicates with the tablet discharge path 2a formed in the base 2. A partition member 8 is attached to the outside of the cassette body 3, and the tip of the partition member 8 is inserted from the outside of the rotor accommodating portion 6 to the inside through the upper part of the tablet discharge hole 7. A rotor shaft hole 9 is formed in the center of the bottom surface 6c.

As shown in FIG. 3, the rotor 4 has a conical shape on the upper surface, an inverted conical shape on the side surface, and a flat bottom surface. A tablet pocket 4a extending in the circumferential direction is provided on the upper portion of the side surface of the rotor between the upper inclined inner surface 6a of the cassette body 3 and a plurality of (six in the embodiment) tablet guides extending downward from the tablet pocket 4a. Roads 4b are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

The tablet pocket 4a is formed by an outer peripheral surface of the elevating member 20 described later, a first horizontal projecting piece 61d of the first movable member 61 and a second horizontal projecting piece 62d of the second movable member 62, which will be described later, and is formed by the cassette body 3 Surrounded by the upper inclined inner surface 6a, the tablet T of the tablet accommodating portion 5 of the cassette body 3 is received and aligned in the circumferential direction.

The tablet guide path 4b is formed between the upper inclined inner surface 6a of the cassette body 3 and the inclined outer surface 22a of the downward protrusion 22 of the elevating member 20 described later. Further, the tablet guide path 4b has a first vertical projecting piece 61c of the first movable member 61 described later, a second vertical projecting piece 62c of the second movable member 62 described later, and a tablet support 53 described later. , The tablet T aligned in the tablet pocket 4a is received and guided downward.

FIG. 4 shows the rotor 4 in the disassembled state. The rotor 4 includes a rotor cover 10, an elevating member 20, an upper base 30, an operation unit 40, a height adjusting unit 50, a width adjusting unit 60, and a lower base 70, and a depth adjusting mechanism thereof as described below. , A height adjusting mechanism, and a width adjusting mechanism are configured, and the depth, height, and width of the tablet guide path 4b are adjusted according to the thickness, height, and width of the tablet contained in the tablet storage portion 5. You can do it.

<Depth adjustment mechanism>
FIG. 5 is an overall view of the depth adjusting mechanism, and FIGS. 6 and 7 show members constituting the depth adjusting mechanism. The depth adjusting mechanism includes a rotor cover 10, an elevating member 20, an upper base 30, and a depth adjusting member 80 of the operation unit 40.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the rotor cover 10 has an umbrella shape as a whole. The upper surface of the rotor cover 10 is formed in a conical shape, and the outer peripheral surface is formed in a conical shape having a steeper slope than the upper surface. The cap 12 is detachably attached to the cap attachment hole 11 provided in the center of the upper surface of the rotor cover. An engaging piece 13 is provided on the inner surface of the rotor cover 10 at the edge of the cap mounting hole 11, and the engaging piece 13 engages with the engaging hole 24 of the elevating member 20 shown in FIG. Reference numeral 10 is removable from the elevating member 20. A plurality of steps 14 are formed on the upper surface of the rotor cover 10 in the circumferential direction, and the tablets contained in the cassette body 3 can be agitated by the steps 14 as the rotor 4 rotates. Protrusions 15 are formed on the inner surface of the rotor cover 10 at 6 equal arrangement positions in the circumferential direction, and the protrusions 15 engage with the notch 25 of the elevating member 20 shown in FIG. It is designed so that it does not rotate relative to 20.

As shown in FIG. 7, the elevating member 20 has a base portion 21 and a downward protrusion 22.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the base portion 21 has a conical upper surface 21a, a conical outer peripheral surface 21b having a steeper slope than the upper surface 21a, and the outer peripheral surface 21b so that the rotor cover 10 can be covered. It has an outer peripheral edge 21c extending downward from the peripheral 6 equal distribution position at the lower end of the. A shaft portion 23 projecting up and down is provided in the center of the base portion 21, and a screw hole 23a into which a male screw portion 81 of a depth adjusting member 80, which will be described later, is screwed is formed in the shaft portion 23. The upper surface 21a of the base 21 has an engaging hole 24 with which the engaging piece 13 of the rotor cover 10 engages, a notch 25 with which the protrusion 15 of the rotor cover 10 engages, and a height adjusting member 90 and a width described later. Two holes 26a and 26b where the adjusting member 100 is exposed, and six support holes 27 for supporting the upper end of the slide portion 28 of the downward protrusion 22 are formed.

As shown in FIG. 7, the downward protrusion 22 is attached between the adjacent outer peripheral edges 21c of the base 21 by a mounting screw 22c. The downward protrusion 22 extends downward inward and has an inclined outer surface 22a and an inclined inner surface 22b. The inclined outer surface 22a of the downward protrusion 22 forms a surface continuous with the outer peripheral edge 21c of the base 21, and also forms the bottom surface of the tablet guide path 4b. A slide portion 28 extending upward is provided on the upper portion of the inclined inner surface 22b. The upper end of the slide portion 28 is supported by the support hole 27 of the base portion 21. A slit 29 is formed at the lower end of the downward protrusion 22 so that the tablet support 53 projects from the inside.

As shown in FIG. 7, the elevating member 20 can be moved up and down with respect to the upper base 30 by engaging the slide portion 28 with the guide portion 36 of the upper base 30, and rotates integrally with the upper base 30.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the upper base 30 has a circular base 31 and an outer peripheral edge 32. In the base 31 of the upper base 30, a hole 33 through which the depth adjusting member 80 described later penetrates, a hole 34a through which the height adjusting member 90 described later penetrates, and two holes 34b, 34c through which the width adjusting member 100 penetrates. And are formed. A notch 35 is formed at a position where the circumference 6 of the outer peripheral edge of the upper base 30 is evenly distributed, and a guide portion 36 having a U-shaped cross section for guiding the slide portion 28 of the downward protrusion 22 is formed in the notch 35. There is. The upper base 30 is attached to the operation base 41 of the operation unit 40 by a mounting screw 37.

As shown in FIG. 4, the operation unit 40 has a depth adjusting member 80, a height adjusting member 90, and a width adjusting member 100 attached to a circular operation base 41.

As shown in FIG. 10, the operation base 41 is circular, and a recess 42 for supporting the lower end of the depth adjusting member 80 and a screw insertion hole 42a are formed in the center of the recess 42 in the center of the upper surface. There is. Further, on the upper surface of the operation base 41, mounting seats 43a and 43b of the upper base 30, two holes 44a and 44b for supporting the width adjusting member 100, and stopper mounting seats 45a and 45b are formed. Further, on the upper surface of the operation base 41, an arc-shaped guide 46 with which the inner peripheral edge of the first support member 63 of the width adjusting portion 60 is engaged is formed. A notch 47 is formed on the outer peripheral edge of the operation base 41, and an engaging portion 47a with which the depth adjusting member 80 engages is formed behind the notch 47. A columnar protrusion 48 is formed in the center of the back surface of the operation base 41, and the lower end of the protrusion 48 is engaged with the engaging protrusion 54a of the support shaft 54 of the support member 51 of the height adjusting portion 50. A matching square engaging hole 48a is formed. Engagement pieces 49 are formed on the outer peripheral edge of the operation base 41 at positions equal to the circumference 6. The operation base 41 engages the engaging piece 49 with the engaging recess 51c of the supporting member 51 of the height adjusting portion 50 shown in FIG. 12, and is integrally attached to the supporting member 51.

As shown in FIG. 7, the depth adjusting member 80 of the operation unit 40 has a male screw portion 81 and a gear portion 82 at the lower end. The male screw portion 81 is screwed into the screw hole 23a of the elevating member 20, the gear portion 82 at the lower end is housed and supported in the recess 42 of the operation base 41, and the upper end of the male screw portion 81 protrudes from the screw hole 23a of the elevating member 20 and is exposed. However, the rotation can be adjusted from the outside. The tip of a stopper 83 made of an elastic piece is locked between the teeth of the gear portion 82. The gear portion 82 at the lower end of the depth adjusting member 80 is formed larger than the hole 23 of the upper base 30 so that the depth adjusting member 80 does not come out upward from the upper base 30.

<Height adjustment mechanism>
FIG. 11 shows the entire height adjusting mechanism, and FIG. 12 shows the members constituting the height adjusting mechanism. The height adjusting mechanism is composed of a lower base 70, a support member 51, a rotating member 52, six tablet support bases 53, and a height adjusting member 90.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the lower base 70 is arranged at a peripheral 5 equal distribution position connecting the annular lower plate 71, the circular upper plate 72, the inner peripheral edge of the lower plate 71, and the outer peripheral edge of the upper plate 72. It is formed of five leg portions 73 provided and ribs 74 provided on both side edges of each leg portion 73. At the center of the upper plate 72, a screw insertion hole 75 and three holes 76 in which the convex portion 51b of the support member 51 engages are formed around the screw insertion hole 75. A drive shaft (not shown) provided at the bottom of the cassette body 3 is engaged with the inside of the lower base 70.

The support member 51 has an inverted conical shape and has the shape of a container that opens upward. A support shaft 54 that rotatably supports the rotating member 52 is projected upward at the center of the bottom surface inside the support member 51. At the upper end of the support shaft 54, a quadrangular engaging protrusion 54a to which the engaging portion 48a of the operation base 41 engages and a screw hole 54b are formed. A screw hole 51a and three convex portions 51b are formed around the screw hole 51a in the center of the outer bottom surface of the support member 51. Slits 55 are radially formed on the outer peripheral surface of the support member 51 in an inverted conical shape at positions equal to the circumference 6, and guides 55a are provided inside both side edges of the slits 55. On the outer peripheral edge of the upper end of the support member 51, an engaging recess 51c is formed in which the engaging piece 49 of the operation base 41 of the operation unit 40 is engaged at a position where the circumference 6 is equally distributed. The support member 51 is placed on the upper plate 72 of the lower base 70, the convex portion 51b is engaged with the hole 76, and is fixedly attached to the lower base 70 via the magnet plate 59c by the mounting screw 59a.

The rotating member 52 has an inverted conical shape housed in the support member 51 and has a tubular shape that opens upward and downward. Inside the rotating member 52, a cylindrical shaft portion 56 is provided so as to be supported on the inner surface of the rotating member 52 via a rib 56a. A spiral screw-shaped spiral guide 52a is formed on the outer surface of the rotating member 52. A driven gear 52b is formed on the inner surface of the upper end of the rotating member 52.

As shown in FIG. 14, the six tablet supports 53 are composed of a bottom side 53a, a first hypotenuse 53b, and a second hypotenuse 53c, respectively, and the first hypotenuse 53b and the second hypotenuse 53c form a right angle. It has a right-angled triangular plate shape. A mounting base 57 is provided on the first hypotenuse 53b, and the mounting base 57 is provided with two cylindrical engaging protrusions 57a that engage with the groove of the spiral guide 52a. The second hypotenuse 53c is located at the lower end of the tablet guideway 4b and supports the tablet at the lowest position of the tablet guideway 4b. The second hypotenuse 53c is a surface that serves as a reference for the height between the tablet support 53 and the partition member 8, and the second hypotenuses 53 of the six tablet support 53 are all at the same height.

As shown in FIG. 15A, since the spiral guide 52a is inclined by the lead angle, when the same six tablet support 53s are arranged in the circumferential direction along the groove of the spiral guide 52a, six tablets are provided. The positions of the bottom 53a of the tablet support 53 will be different. Therefore, the size of each mounting base 57 is sequentially increased so that the positions of the bottom portions 53a of the six tablet support bases 53 are the same, and the engaging protrusions 57a are sequentially provided at higher positions. As described above, since the shape of each tablet support 53 is different, 1 to 6 convex marks indicating the attachment order to the spiral guide 52a are shown on the bottom 53a as shown in FIG. 15B. 58 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 12, the height adjusting member 90 is attached to the engaging portion 47a of the notch 47 of the operation base 41 of the operating portion 40, and has a drive gear 91 at the lower end that meshes with the driven gear 52b of the rotating member 52. doing. The upper end of the height adjusting member 90 protrudes from the hole 26a on the upper surface of the base 21 of the elevating member 20 and is exposed so that the rotation can be adjusted from the outside.

The rotating member 52 is housed in the support member 51 with the six tablet support 53s engaged with each other. The opening of the support member 51 is covered by the operation base 41. In the operation base 41, the engaging piece 49 engages with the engaging recess 51c of the support member 51, and the engaging hole 48a of the protrusion 48 fits into the engaging protrusion 54a of the support shaft 54 of the support member 51. By screwing the mounting screw 59b into the screw hole 54b of the support shaft 54 of the support member 51, the mounting screw 59b is fixedly attached to the support member 51.

The mounting base 57 of the tablet support 53 is supported from both sides by the guide 55a of the support member 51, and the tablet support 53 is slidably fitted into the slit 55 of the support member 51. As a result, the tablet support base 53 supports the lowest tablet T in the tablet guide path 4b. As shown in FIG. 21, when the tablet support 53 is in the lowest position, the tip of the tablet support 53 is located at the lower end of the upper inclined inner surface 6a of the cassette body 3, so that the spiral guide 52a of the rotating member 52 is located. The position of is determined.

<Width adjustment mechanism>
FIG. 16 shows the entire width adjusting mechanism, and FIG. 17 shows the members constituting the width adjusting mechanism. The width adjusting mechanism is composed of a first movable member 61, a second movable member 62, a first support member 63, a second support member 64, and a width adjusting member 100.

The first movable member 61 has an annular base portion 61a, six wall portions 61b, a first vertical projecting piece 61c, and a first horizontal projecting piece 61d. The base 61a rotatably fits into the leg 73 having the rib 74 of the lower base 70. The six wall portions 61b project upward at positions such as the circumference 6 of the outer peripheral edge of the base portion 61a. The first vertical projecting piece 61c projects obliquely outward from the right end when viewed from the front of the wall portion 61b, and forms the left side surface of the tablet guide path 4b described above. The first vertical projecting piece 61c is formed with a notch 61e into which the partition member 8 is fitted. The first horizontal projecting piece 61d extends from the upper end of the first vertical projecting piece 61c horizontally in the circumferential direction toward the left side when viewed from the front, and forms the bottom surface of the tablet pocket 4a described above. A mounting seat 61f is provided on the inner edge of the first horizontal projecting piece 61d.

The second movable member 62 has an annular base portion 62a, six wall portions 62b, a second vertical projecting piece 62c, and a second horizontal projecting piece 62d. The base portion 62a is rotatably fitted onto the base portion 61a of the first movable member 61 that is previously attached to the leg portion 73 having the rib 74 of the lower base 70. The six wall portions 62b project upward at positions such as the circumference 6 of the outer peripheral edge of the base portion 62a. The second vertical projecting piece 62c projects obliquely outward from the left end when viewed from the front of the wall portion 62b, and forms the right surface of the tablet guide path 4b described above. The second vertical projecting piece 62c is formed with a notch 62e into which the partition member 8 is fitted. The second horizontal projecting piece 62d extends from the upper end of the second vertical projecting piece 62c horizontally in the circumferential direction toward the right side when viewed from the front, and together with the first horizontal projecting piece 61d of the first movable member 61, the tablet described above. It forms the bottom surface of the pocket 4a. A mounting seat 62f is provided on the inner edge of the second horizontal projecting piece 62d. The tip of the second horizontal projecting piece 62d of the second movable member 62 is formed so as to overlap the tip of the first horizontal projecting piece 61d of the first movable member 61.

As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the first support member 63 has an annular shape, and a mounting seat 63a facing the mounting seat 61f of the first movable member 61 is provided on the outer peripheral surface thereof, and the mounting seat of the first movable member 61 is provided. It is attached to 61f with a mounting screw (not shown). The inner circumference of the first support member 63 has a diameter at which the guide 46 of the operation base 41 of the operation unit 40 engages. An arcuate guide 63b is formed on the inner peripheral edge of the upper surface of the first support member 63.

The first support member 63 is formed with two substantially semicircular notches 65 and elongated holes 66 adjacent to each other on the inner circumference. A protrusions 65a and B protrusions 65b facing each other in the circumferential direction are formed on the edge of the notch 65 located on the downstream side in the clockwise direction when the first support member 63 is viewed from above. The A protrusion 65a and the B protrusion 65b are cam followers that are in sliding contact with the A cam 101a and the B cam 101b of the first adjustment shaft 101, which will be described later.

As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the second support member 64 has an annular shape, and a mounting seat 64a facing the mounting seat 62f of the second movable member 62 is provided on the outer peripheral portion thereof, and the mounting seat of the second movable member 62 is provided. It is attached to 62f with a mounting screw (not shown). The inner circumference of the second support member 64 has a diameter at which the guide 63b of the first support member 63 engages. A notch 64b with which the downward protrusion 22 of the elevating member 20 engages is formed at a position where the outer peripheral edge of the second support member 64 is equally arranged at the circumference of the outer peripheral edge.

The second support member 64 is formed with two substantially semicircular notches 67 and elongated holes 68 adjacent to each other on the inner circumference. A protrusions 67a and B protrusions 67b facing each other in the circumferential direction are formed on the edge of the notch 67 located on the upstream side in the clockwise direction when the second support member 64 is viewed from above. The A protrusion 67a and the B protrusion 67b are cam followers that are in sliding contact with the A cam 102a and the B cam 102b of the second adjusting shaft 102, which will be described later.

As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the width adjusting member 100 includes a first adjusting shaft 101 and a second adjusting shaft 102. The first adjusting shaft 101 is arranged between the notch 65 and the elongated hole 68 which overlap each other. The second adjusting shaft 102 is arranged between the elongated holes 66 and the notches 67 that overlap each other. The first adjusting shaft 101 is provided with a stopper 103 that prevents the first adjusting shaft 101 from freely rotating.

As shown in FIG. 18, the first adjusting shaft 101 is formed with an A cam 101a, a B cam 101b, and a gear 101c in this order from the lower end. The A cam 101a is in sliding contact with the A protrusion 65a of the first movable member 61. The B cam 101b is in sliding contact with the B protrusion 65b of the first movable member 61. The upper end of the first adjusting shaft 101 penetrates the hole 34b of the upper base 30 and is exposed in the hole 26 of the elevating member 20, so that the rotation can be adjusted from the outside. The lower end of the first adjusting shaft 101 is supported by the hole 44a of the operation base 41.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 17, the second adjusting shaft 102 is formed with the A cam 102a, the B cam 102b, and the gear 102c in this order from the upper end. The A cam 102a is in sliding contact with the A protrusion 67a of the second movable member 62. The B cam 102b is in sliding contact with the B protrusion 67b of the second movable member 62. The gear 102c of the second adjusting shaft 102 is configured to mesh with the gear 101c of the first adjusting shaft 101. The upper end of the second adjusting shaft 102 is supported by the hole 34c of the upper base 30, and the lower end is supported by the hole 44b of the operation base 41.

<Rotor action>
Next, the operation of the rotor 4 in the tablet cassette 1 having the above configuration will be described.

Referring to FIG. 2, as described above, between the cassette body 3 and the rotor 4, a tablet pocket 4a extending in the circumferential direction on the upper side surface of the rotor 4 and a plurality of tablets extending downward from the upper side surface of the rotor 4 It has a guideway 4b.

The tablet T housed in the tablet storage portion 5 of the cassette body 3 enters the tablet pocket 4a while being stirred by the step 14 of the rotor cover 10 due to the rotation of the rotor 4, and enters the tablet guide path 4b from the tablet pocket 4a. When the tablet guide path 4b approaches the tablet discharge hole 7, the partition member 8 fixed to the cassette body 3 enters between the lowermost tablet T of the tablet guide path 4b and the tablet T above it. The tablet T above the partition member 8 is prevented from falling downward by the partition member 8. The lowest tablet T below the partition member 8 is on the tablet support 53, but since the tablet support 53 is inclined, it falls toward the tablet discharge hole 7 on the second hypotenuse 53c and discharges the tablet. It is discharged from the hole 7. The tablet T discharged from the tablet discharge hole 7 is discharged through the tablet discharge path 2a of the base 2. As a result, one tablet T is discharged each time the tablet guide path 4b turns to the tablet discharge hole 7. By adjusting the rotation angle of the rotor 4, the number of tablets T according to the prescription can be dispensed.

The tablet guide path 4b is partitioned from the depth D corresponding to the thickness of the tablet T and the tablet support 53 corresponding to the height of the tablet by using the depth adjusting mechanism, the height adjusting mechanism, and the width adjusting mechanism described above. The height H up to the member 8 and the width W corresponding to the width of the tablet T can be adjusted. Therefore, the tablet guide path 4b having an appropriate size can be obtained according to the shape and size of the tablet T housed in the cassette body 3. Each time the tablet T is different, the entire tablet cassette 1 or the rotor 4 is not replaced, and the same tablet cassette 1 or the rotor 4 is used to adjust the tablet guide path 4b to match the various tablets T, thereby discharging. be able to.

<Adjusting the depth (thickness) of the tablet guide>
In order to adjust the depth D of the tablet guide path 4b corresponding to the thickness of the tablet T, in FIG. 4, the rotor cover 10 attached to the rotor 4 is removed, and the depth exposed on the upper surface of the elevating member 20. The depth adjusting member 80 of the cover adjusting mechanism is rotated to the left or right.

Referring to FIG. 7, in the depth adjusting member 80, the gear portion 82 is restrained from moving in the axial direction by the upper base 30 and the operation base 41, and the slide portion 28 of the elevating member 20 is the guide portion 36 of the upper base 30. Since the elevating member 20 is restrained from rotating with respect to the upper base 30 by engaging, when the depth adjusting member 80 is rotated, the screw hole screwed with the male screw portion 81 of the depth adjusting member 80. The elevating member 20 having 23a rises or falls in the rotation axis direction of the rotor 4. Along with this, the inclined outer surface 22a of the downward protrusion 22 of the elevating member 20 forming the bottom surface of the tablet guide path 4b also rises or falls.

Referring to FIG. 20, the inclined outer surface 22a of the downward protrusion 22 is inclined from the outer side to the inner side in the radial direction from the top to the bottom, and the upper portion of the rotor accommodating portion 6 of the cassette body 3 has an inverted conical shape. It is parallel to the inclined inner surface 6a. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 20A, when the inclined outer surface 22a of the downward protrusion 22 of the elevating member 20 descends, the inclined outer surface 22a of the downward protrusion 22 and the inverted conical upper inclined inner surface 6a of the cassette body 3 The distance between the tablet guide path 4b can be reduced and the depth of the tablet guide path 4b can be made shallow (D1). On the contrary, as shown in FIG. 20B, when the inclined outer surface 22a of the downward protrusion 22 of the elevating member 20 rises, the inclined outer surface 22a of the downward protrusion 22 and the inverted conical upper inclined inner surface 6a of the cassette body 3 The distance between the tablet guide path 4b and the tablet guide path 4b can be increased (D2). By rotating the depth adjusting member 80 to the left or right in this way, the depth of the tablet guide path 4b can be adjusted according to the thickness of the tablet T passing through the tablet guide path 4b.

<Adjustment of partition position (height) of tablet guide path>
In order to adjust the partition position H of the tablet guide path 4b corresponding to the height of the tablet T, in FIG. 4, the height adjusting member 90 of the height adjusting mechanism exposed on the upper surface of the elevating member 20 is left or right. Rotate to. In the present invention, since the partition member 8 is fixed to the cassette body 3, the partition member 8 itself is not moved to adjust the partition position H of the tablet guide path 4b, but is located below the partition member 8. The partition position H of the tablet T is relatively adjusted by raising and lowering the tablet support base 53 and adjusting the distance between the partition member 8 and the tablet support base 53.

Referring to FIG. 12, since the drive gear 91 of the height adjusting member 90 meshes with the driven gear 52b of the rotating member 52, when the height adjusting member 90 is rotated, the rotating member 52 causes the support shaft 54 of the support member 51 to rotate. Rotate around. The rotating member 52 is restrained from moving up and down by the support member 51 and the operation base 41. The tablet support base 53 having the engaging protrusion 54a that engages with the spiral guide 52a of the rotating member 52 is restricted in rotation by the slits 55 of the supporting member 51 and the guides 55a on both sides thereof. Therefore, due to the rotation of the rotating member 52, the same amount of movement along the tablet guide path 4b in the direction in which all six tablet support 53s are inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the rotor 4 as the spiral guide 52a moves. Go up and down with.

That is, when the rotating member 52 rotates in one direction, as shown in FIG. 20A, the tablet support base 53 rises, and the position of the partition member 8 with respect to the tablet support base 53, that is, the partition position becomes low (H1). .. On the contrary, when the rotating member 52 rotates to the other side, as shown in FIG. 20B, the tablet support base 53 is lowered, and the position of the partition member 8 with respect to the tablet support base 53, that is, the partition position is high (H2). Become.

As shown in FIG. 21, when the tablet support 53 is in the lowest position, the tip of the tablet support 53 is located at the lower end of the upper inclined inner surface 6a of the cassette body 3, so that the tablet support 53 is the rotor 4 The space between the tablet support base 53 and the upper inclined inner surface 6a of the cassette body 3 does not increase even if the tablet guide path 4b rises in a direction inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the tablet. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the tablet from being clogged with the tablet guide path 4b regardless of the elevating position of the tablet support 53. Further, the amount of protrusion of the tablet support base 53 protruding from the inclined outer surface 22a through the slit 29 of the downward protrusion 22 is constant regardless of the elevating position of the tablet support base 53. From this point as well, the space between the tablet support base 53 and the upper inclined inner surface 6a of the cassette body 3 does not increase, so that even if the tablet support base 53 is lowered, the tablets may be clogged with the tablet guide path 4b. There is no such thing.

<Adjusting the width of the tablet guideway>
In order to adjust the width W of the tablet guide path 4b corresponding to the width of the tablet T, the width adjusting member 100 exposed on the upper surface of the elevating member 20 is rotated to the left or right in FIG.

When the first adjusting shaft 101 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 19A, the A cam 101a of the first adjusting shaft 101 slides against and presses the A projection 65a of the first support member 63, so that the first support member 63 rotates counterclockwise together with the first movable member 61. Further, by rotating the first adjusting shaft 101 clockwise, a rotational force is transmitted from the gear 101c of the first adjusting shaft 101 to the gear 102c of the second adjusting shaft 102, and the second adjusting shaft 102 rotates counterclockwise. .. Due to the rotation of the second adjusting shaft 102, the A cam 102a of the second adjusting shaft 102 slides and presses against the A protrusion 67a of the second supporting member 64, so that the second supporting member 64 together with the second movable member 62 watches. Rotate around.

Subsequently, when the first adjusting shaft 101 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 19A, the B cam 101b of the first adjusting shaft 101 slides against the B protrusion 65b of the first support member 63 and presses the first adjusting shaft 101. The first support member 63 rotates clockwise together with the first movable member 61. Further, due to the rotation of the first adjustment shaft 101, a rotational force is transmitted from the gear 101c of the first adjustment shaft 101 to the gear 102c of the second adjustment shaft 102, and the second adjustment shaft 102 rotates clockwise. Due to the clockwise rotation of the second adjusting shaft 102, the B cam 102b of the second adjusting shaft 102 slides and presses against the B protrusion 67b of the second supporting member 64, so that the second supporting member 64 is pressed by the second movable member 62. At the same time, it rotates counterclockwise.

In this way, the first movable member 61 and the second movable member 62 rotate in opposite directions to each other. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B, the first vertical projecting piece 61c of the first movable member 61 The distance between the second movable member 62 and the second vertical projecting piece 62c, that is, the width of the tablet guide path 4b can be reduced (W1) or expanded (W2).

<Other embodiments>
The height adjusting mechanism of the above-described embodiment uses a spiral guide, but the height adjusting mechanism is not limited to the spiral guide, and other mechanisms can be used. Hereinafter, other embodiments of the height adjusting mechanism will be described.

FIG. 22 shows the height adjusting unit 110 according to another embodiment. The height adjusting unit 110 is composed of a support member 111, a first rotating member 112, six second rotating members 113, six tablet support bases 114, and a height adjusting member 115.

Since the support member 111 is the same as the support member 51 of the above embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and the description thereof will be omitted.

The first rotating member 112 has a circular plate shape. A cylindrical shaft portion 112a is provided on the bottom surface of the first rotating member 112. A driven gear 112b is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first rotating member 112.

The six second rotating members 113 are rotatably supported on the inner surface of the supporting member 111. A male screw 113a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of each of the second rotating shafts 113. The upper end of the second rotating member 113 has a pinion gear 113b that meshes with the driven gear 112b of the first rotating member 112.

Each of the six tablet supports 114 is composed of a base 114a, a first hypotenuse 114b, and a second hypotenuse 114c, and has a substantially right triangle plate shape in which the first hypotenuse 114b and the second hypotenuse 114c form a right angle. .. A mounting base 116 is provided on the first hypotenuse 114b, and the mounting base 116 is screwed into the male screw 113a of the second rotating member 113. The second hypotenuse 114c is located at the lower end of the tablet guideway 4b and supports the tablet at the lowest position of the tablet guideway 4b.

The height adjusting member 115 is attached to the engaging portion 47a of the notch 47 of the operating base 41 of the operating portion 40, and has a drive gear 117 at the lower end that meshes with the driven gear 112b of the first rotating member 112. Similar to the above embodiment, the upper end of the height adjusting member 115 protrudes from the hole 26a (see FIG. 7) on the upper surface of the base 21 of the elevating member 20 and is exposed so that the rotation can be adjusted from the outside.

When the height adjusting member 115 is rotated left and right, the drive gear 117 meshes with the driven gear 112b to rotate the first rotating member 112, and the driven gear 112b of the first rotating member 112 meshes with the pinion gear 113b. The second rotating member 113 rotates in the same direction, whereby the tablet support 53 screwed into the male screw 113a of the second rotating member 113 moves up and down, and the distance between the partition member 8 and the tablet support 53. Can be adjusted.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims.

For example, in FIG. 21, the inclined outer surface 22a of the elevating member 20 of the rotor 4 and the upper inclined inner surface 6a of the cassette body 3 have the same inclination angle, and the height adjusting mechanism causes the tablet support 53 to protrude from the inclined outer surface 22a. The P is raised and lowered so as to be constant regardless of the raising and lowering position of the tablet support 53. Specifically, in the first embodiment, the inclination angle of the spiral guide 52a on the outer surface of the rotating member 52 is made to match the inclination angle of the inclined outer surface 22a of the downward protrusion 22, and in the second embodiment, the second rotation. The inclination angle of the member 113 is made to match the inclination angle of the inclined outer surface 22a of the downward protrusion 22. Alternatively, in the first embodiment of FIG. 21, the tablet support 53 is configured to be able to move up and down in the axial direction of the rotor 4, and a part of the tablet support 53 expands and contracts according to the height of the tablet support 53. , The protrusion amount P may be constant.

In the first embodiment, the spiral guide 52a on the outer surface of the rotating member 52 has a spiral screw shape, but may be a spiral groove. Further, in the second embodiment of FIG. 22, the first rotating member 112 may not be provided, and the second rotating member 113 may be individually moved to adjust the position of each tablet support table 114.

T Tablet 1 Tablet Cassette 2 Motor Base 3 Cassette Body 4 Rotor 4a Tablet Pocket 4b Tablet Guide 5 Tablet Storage 6 Rotor Storage 6a Upper Inclined Inner Surface 6b Lower Vertical Inner Surface 7 Tablet Discharge Hole 8 Partition Member 10 Rotor Cover 20 Lifting Member 22a Inclined outer surface 30 Upper base 40 Operation unit 41 Operation base 50 Height adjustment unit 51 Support member 52 Rotating member 52a Spiral guide 52b Driven gear 53 Tablet support base 55 Slit 60 Width adjustment unit 70 Lower base 80 Depth adjustment member 90 Height adjustment Member 100 Width adjusting member 110 Height adjusting part 111 Support member 112 First rotating member 112a Shaft part 112b Driven gear 113 Second rotating member 113a Male screw 113b Pinion gear 114 Tablet support 115 Height adjusting member

The present invention relates to a tablet cassette provided in a tablet storage and dispensing device, the rotor of a tablet cassette for storing a large number of tablets and taking out a required number of tablets according to a prescription, and a tablet cassette using the rotor.

Tablet storage and dispensing devices installed in dispensing pharmacies and hospitals can automatically, quickly, reliably and safely provide tablets according to prescriptions to many patients. There are many shapes and sizes of tablets such as round, oval, spherical, capsule, and sugar-coated, but it is desirable that the tablet storage and dispensing device can dispense as many types of tablets as possible.

The tablet storage and dispensing device includes a large number of tablet cassettes capable of storing and dispensing different types of tablets. Each tablet cassette includes a cassette body for storing tablets and a rotor rotatably arranged on the bottom of the cassette body. When the rotor rotates, the tablets in the cassette body are sequentially guided to a plurality of tablet guide paths formed in the rotor, and when each tablet guide path coincides with the tablet discharge hole of the cassette body, the tablet guide path is at the bottom of the tablet guide path. The tablet and the tablet above it are separated by a partition member, and only the lowest tablet is discharged from the tablet discharge hole.

In Patent Document 1, the applicant of the present application describes the width and depth of the tablet guideway of the rotor and the height from the tablet support provided at the lower part of the tablet guideway to the partition member according to the size, shape and type of the tablet. We are proposing a rotor for tablet cassettes that can be changed. As shown in FIG. 23, the surface on the rotor side of the tablet guide path 201 of the rotor 200 of Patent Document 1 in the depth direction is formed by the inclined outer surface 202a of the rotor body 202 that can be raised and lowered with respect to the rotation axis of the rotor 200. It is inclined so as to face the inverted conical inclined inner surface 203a of the cassette body 203. Further, the tablet support base 204 is provided at the tip of the arm 207 of the elevating member 206 that is screwed into the threaded portion on the outer circumference of the cylindrical rotating member 205.

As shown in FIGS. 23A, 23B, and 23C, when the rotor body 202 is moved up and down in the direction of the rotation axis of the rotor 200, the inclined inner surface 203a of the cassette body 203 and the inclined outer surface 202a of the rotor body 202 The distance between them changes, and the depth of the tablet guide path 201 can be adjusted according to the thickness of the tablet. Further, when the rotating member 205 is rotated, the elevating member 206 moves up and down, and the tablet support base 204 moves in the rotation axis direction of the rotor 200 accordingly, and the distance between the tablet support base 204 and the partition member 208 is set to the tablet. It can be adjusted according to the height of.

The cassette body 203 facing the inclined outer surface 202a of the rotor body 202 of Patent Document 1 is an inclined inner surface 203a, but the lower portion of the cassette body 203 is provided so that the arm 207 of the elevating member 206 can move up and down in the rotation axis direction of the rotor 200. It has a cylindrical surface 203b. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 23C, when the arm 207 of the elevating member 206 is in the lowest position, the space S between the upper surface of the tablet support base 204 and the cylindrical surface 203b of the cassette body 203 increases. .. The lowest tablet of the tablet guide path 201 enters the increased space S, and the upper end of the tablet does not match the position of the partition member 208, so that the second tablet interferes with the partition member 208 and becomes clogged, and the rotor It could interfere with 200 rotations.

Patent No. 6222414

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and provides a rotor for a tablet cassette and a tablet cassette capable of preventing a tablet from being clogged in a tablet guide path regardless of the elevating position of the tablet support. The task is to do.

As a means for solving the above problems, the present invention
A rotor that is rotatably housed in a cassette body that holds tablets.
A plurality of tablet guide paths for guiding the tablets contained in the cassette body to the tablet discharge holes provided in the cassette body are formed between the inclined inner surface of the cassette body and the inclined outer surface of the rotor .
In a rotor configured such that a partition member provided on the cassette body discharges tablets below the partition member from the tablet discharge hole and prevents the tablets above the partition member from falling.
A tablet support that supports the tablets in the tablet guideway below the partition member, and a height adjusting mechanism that raises and lowers the tablet support to adjust the height between the tablet support and the partition member. Bei example,
The height adjusting mechanism is configured to move the tablet support up and down along the tablet guide path in a direction inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the rotor.

In the present invention, even if the tablet support rises along the tablet guide path in a direction inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the rotor, the space between the upper surface of the tablet support and the inner surface of the cassette body does not increase. Absent. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the tablet from being clogged in the tablet guide path regardless of the elevating position of the tablet support.

The height adjustment mechanism is
A rotatable rotating member having a spiral guide on the outer peripheral surface on which the tablet support is engaged.
A support member that supports the tablet support from both sides and prevents the tablet support from moving along the spiral guide.
It is preferable to include a height adjusting member that rotates the rotating member and raises and lowers the tablet support that engages with the spiral guide in a direction inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the rotor.

The rotating member preferably has an inverted conical outer peripheral surface.

The support member has an inverted conical shape that covers the outside of the rotating member, and a slit through which the tablet support base protrudes is formed.
It is preferable that the slit extends along the tablet guide path and supports the tablet support from both sides.

It is preferable that the height adjusting member has a drive gear that meshes with a driven gear formed on the inner peripheral surface of the rotating member and can be operated from the outside.

The rotor includes a lower base, an operation base, and an upper base.
The support member is fixed to the lower base,
The operation base is fixed to the support member,
It is preferable that the upper base is fixed to the operation base.

The height adjustment mechanism is
The first rotating member and
A plurality of second rotating members formed with male threads that rotate in conjunction with the first rotating member and screw the tablet support base.
A support member that supports the tablet support from both sides and prevents the tablet support from rotating around the second rotating member.
A height adjusting member that rotates the first rotating member, rotates the second rotating shaft member via the first rotating member, and raises and lowers the tablet support base in a direction inclined with respect to the rotating shaft of the rotor. And, it is preferable to provide.

In addition, as another means for solving the above problems, the present invention
A rotor that is rotatably housed in a cassette body that holds tablets.
Between the inclined inner surface and the inclined outer surface of the rotor of the cassette body, a plurality of tablet guide path for guiding the tablets contained in the cassette body in tablet discharge hole provided in the cassette body is formed,
In a rotor configured such that a partition member provided on the cassette body discharges tablets below the partition member from the tablet discharge hole and prevents the tablets above the partition member from falling.
A tablet support that supports the tablets in the tablet guideway below the partition member, and a height adjusting mechanism that raises and lowers the tablet support to adjust the height between the tablet support and the partition member. Bei example,
The height adjusting mechanism is configured to raise and lower the tablet support so that the amount of protrusion from the inclined outer surface is constant regardless of the raising and lowering position of the tablet support.

According to the present invention, even if the tablet support base rises along the tablet guide path in a direction inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the rotor, the space between the upper surface of the tablet support base and the inner surface of the cassette body increases. It is possible to prevent the tablet from being clogged in the tablet guide path regardless of the elevating position of the tablet support.

Partial cross-sectional perspective view of a tablet cassette equipped with a rotor and a motor base according to the present invention. A partial cross-sectional side view of the tablet cassette of FIG. A perspective view (a) seen from above and a perspective view (b) seen from below of the rotor. An exploded perspective view of the rotor. Overall perspective view of the depth adjustment mechanism. A perspective view seen from below the cover. An exploded perspective view showing the components of the depth adjustment mechanism. A perspective view seen from below the base of the elevating member. Perspective view from below of the upper base. A perspective view (a) seen from above and a perspective view seen from below of the operation base. Overall perspective view of the height adjustment mechanism. An exploded perspective view showing the components of the height adjustment mechanism as viewed from above. An exploded perspective view showing the components of the height adjustment mechanism as viewed from below. Perspective view of the tablet support. A front view (a) and a bottom view (b) showing the arrangement state of the tablet support base. Overall perspective view of the width adjustment mechanism. The perspective view which shows the component part of the width adjustment mechanism. A perspective view showing the width adjusting member, the first support member, and the second support member as viewed from below. A plan view (a) and a bottom view (b) showing the operation of the width adjusting member. Partial cross-sectional side view (a) of the tablet cassette in which the depth, height, and width of the tablet guide are adjusted for small tablets, and the depth, height, and width of the tablet guide for large tablets. (B) is a partial cross-sectional side view of the tablet cassette adjusted to. A partial cross-sectional side view of a tablet cassette showing the operation of a tablet support. Partial cross-sectional side view of a tablet cassette with a height adjusting mechanism of another embodiment. Partial cross-sectional side view of a tablet cassette with a conventional height adjustment mechanism.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a tablet cassette 1 mounted on a tablet storage / dispensing device. The tablet cassette 1 includes a cassette main body 3 provided on the motor base 2 and a rotor 4 according to the present invention housed in the cassette main body 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cassette main body 3 is composed of a tablet accommodating portion 5 capable of accommodating a large number of tablets T and a rotor accommodating portion 6 provided below the tablet accommodating portion 5 and accommodating a rotor 4. ing. The upper end of the tablet storage portion 5 is open and can be opened and closed with a lid (not shown). The rotor accommodating portion 6 has an inverted conical upper inclined inner surface 6a, a cylindrical lower vertical inner surface 6b, and a bottom surface 6c. A tablet discharge hole 7 is formed in the lower portion of the upper inclined inner surface 6a. The tablet discharge hole 7 communicates with the tablet discharge path 2a formed in the base 2. A partition member 8 is attached to the outside of the cassette body 3, and the tip of the partition member 8 is inserted from the outside of the rotor accommodating portion 6 to the inside through the upper part of the tablet discharge hole 7. A rotor shaft hole 9 is formed in the center of the bottom surface 6c.

As shown in FIG. 3, the rotor 4 has a conical shape on the upper surface, an inverted conical shape on the side surface, and a flat bottom surface. A tablet pocket 4a extending in the circumferential direction is provided on the upper portion of the side surface of the rotor between the upper inclined inner surface 6a of the cassette body 3 and a plurality of (six in the embodiment) tablet guides extending downward from the tablet pocket 4a. Roads 4b are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

The tablet pocket 4a is formed by an outer peripheral surface of the elevating member 20 described later, a first horizontal projecting piece 61d of the first movable member 61 and a second horizontal projecting piece 62d of the second movable member 62, which will be described later, and is formed by the cassette body 3 Surrounded by the upper inclined inner surface 6a, the tablet T of the tablet accommodating portion 5 of the cassette body 3 is received and aligned in the circumferential direction.

The tablet guide path 4b is formed between the upper inclined inner surface 6a of the cassette body 3 and the inclined outer surface 22a of the downward protrusion 22 of the elevating member 20 described later. Further, the tablet guide path 4b has a first vertical projecting piece 61c of the first movable member 61 described later, a second vertical projecting piece 62c of the second movable member 62 described later, and a tablet support 53 described later. , The tablet T aligned in the tablet pocket 4a is received and guided downward.

FIG. 4 shows the rotor 4 in the disassembled state. The rotor 4 includes a rotor cover 10, an elevating member 20, an upper base 30, an operation unit 40, a height adjusting unit 50, a width adjusting unit 60, and a lower base 70, and a depth adjusting mechanism thereof as described below. , A height adjusting mechanism, and a width adjusting mechanism are configured, and the depth, height, and width of the tablet guide path 4b are adjusted according to the thickness, height, and width of the tablet contained in the tablet storage portion 5. You can do it.

<Depth adjustment mechanism>
FIG. 5 is an overall view of the depth adjusting mechanism, and FIGS. 6 and 7 show members constituting the depth adjusting mechanism. The depth adjusting mechanism includes a rotor cover 10, an elevating member 20, an upper base 30, and a depth adjusting member 80 of the operation unit 40.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the rotor cover 10 has an umbrella shape as a whole. The upper surface of the rotor cover 10 is formed in a conical shape, and the outer peripheral surface is formed in a conical shape having a steeper slope than the upper surface. The cap 12 is detachably attached to the cap attachment hole 11 provided in the center of the upper surface of the rotor cover. An engaging piece 13 is provided on the inner surface of the rotor cover 10 at the edge of the cap mounting hole 11, and the engaging piece 13 engages with the engaging hole 24 of the elevating member 20 shown in FIG. Reference numeral 10 is removable from the elevating member 20. A plurality of steps 14 are formed on the upper surface of the rotor cover 10 in the circumferential direction, and the tablets contained in the cassette body 3 can be agitated by the steps 14 as the rotor 4 rotates. Protrusions 15 are formed on the inner surface of the rotor cover 10 at 6 equal arrangement positions in the circumferential direction, and the protrusions 15 engage with the notch 25 of the elevating member 20 shown in FIG. It is designed so that it does not rotate relative to 20.

As shown in FIG. 7, the elevating member 20 has a base portion 21 and a downward protrusion 22.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the base portion 21 has a conical upper surface 21a, a conical outer peripheral surface 21b having a steeper slope than the upper surface 21a, and the outer peripheral surface 21b so that the rotor cover 10 can be covered. It has an outer peripheral edge 21c extending downward from the peripheral 6 equal distribution position at the lower end of the. A shaft portion 23 projecting up and down is provided in the center of the base portion 21, and a screw hole 23a into which a male screw portion 81 of a depth adjusting member 80, which will be described later, is screwed is formed in the shaft portion 23. The upper surface 21a of the base 21 has an engaging hole 24 with which the engaging piece 13 of the rotor cover 10 engages, a notch 25 with which the protrusion 15 of the rotor cover 10 engages, and a height adjusting member 90 and a width described later. Two holes 26a and 26b where the adjusting member 100 is exposed, and six support holes 27 for supporting the upper end of the slide portion 28 of the downward protrusion 22 are formed.

As shown in FIG. 7, the downward protrusion 22 is attached between the adjacent outer peripheral edges 21c of the base 21 by a mounting screw 22c. The downward protrusion 22 extends downward inward and has an inclined outer surface 22a and an inclined inner surface 22b. The inclined outer surface 22a of the downward protrusion 22 forms a surface continuous with the outer peripheral edge 21c of the base 21, and also forms the bottom surface of the tablet guide path 4b. A slide portion 28 extending upward is provided on the upper portion of the inclined inner surface 22b. The upper end of the slide portion 28 is supported by the support hole 27 of the base portion 21. A slit 29 is formed at the lower end of the downward protrusion 22 so that the tablet support 53 projects from the inside.

As shown in FIG. 7, the elevating member 20 can be moved up and down with respect to the upper base 30 by engaging the slide portion 28 with the guide portion 36 of the upper base 30, and rotates integrally with the upper base 30.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the upper base 30 has a circular base 31 and an outer peripheral edge 32. In the base 31 of the upper base 30, a hole 33 through which the depth adjusting member 80 described later penetrates, a hole 34a through which the height adjusting member 90 described later penetrates, and two holes 34b, 34c through which the width adjusting member 100 penetrates. And are formed. A notch 35 is formed at a position where the circumference 6 of the outer peripheral edge of the upper base 30 is evenly distributed, and a guide portion 36 having a U-shaped cross section for guiding the slide portion 28 of the downward protrusion 22 is formed in the notch 35. There is. The upper base 30 is attached to the operation base 41 of the operation unit 40 by a mounting screw 37.

As shown in FIG. 4, the operation unit 40 has a depth adjusting member 80, a height adjusting member 90, and a width adjusting member 100 attached to a circular operation base 41.

As shown in FIG. 10, the operation base 41 is circular, and a recess 42 for supporting the lower end of the depth adjusting member 80 and a screw insertion hole 42a are formed in the center of the recess 42 in the center of the upper surface. There is. Further, on the upper surface of the operation base 41, mounting seats 43a and 43b of the upper base 30, two holes 44a and 44b for supporting the width adjusting member 100, and stopper mounting seats 45a and 45b are formed. Further, on the upper surface of the operation base 41, an arc-shaped guide 46 with which the inner peripheral edge of the first support member 63 of the width adjusting portion 60 is engaged is formed. A notch 47 is formed on the outer peripheral edge of the operation base 41, and an engaging portion 47a with which the depth adjusting member 80 engages is formed behind the notch 47. A columnar protrusion 48 is formed in the center of the back surface of the operation base 41, and the lower end of the protrusion 48 is engaged with the engaging protrusion 54a of the support shaft 54 of the support member 51 of the height adjusting portion 50. A matching square engaging hole 48a is formed. Engagement pieces 49 are formed on the outer peripheral edge of the operation base 41 at positions equal to the circumference 6. The operation base 41 engages the engaging piece 49 with the engaging recess 51c of the supporting member 51 of the height adjusting portion 50 shown in FIG. 12, and is integrally attached to the supporting member 51.

As shown in FIG. 7, the depth adjusting member 80 of the operation unit 40 has a male screw portion 81 and a gear portion 82 at the lower end. The male screw portion 81 is screwed into the screw hole 23a of the elevating member 20, the gear portion 82 at the lower end is housed and supported in the recess 42 of the operation base 41, and the upper end of the male screw portion 81 protrudes from the screw hole 23a of the elevating member 20 and is exposed. However, the rotation can be adjusted from the outside. The tip of a stopper 83 made of an elastic piece is locked between the teeth of the gear portion 82. The gear portion 82 at the lower end of the depth adjusting member 80 is formed larger than the hole 23 of the upper base 30 so that the depth adjusting member 80 does not come out upward from the upper base 30.

<Height adjustment mechanism>
FIG. 11 shows the entire height adjusting mechanism, and FIG. 12 shows the members constituting the height adjusting mechanism. The height adjusting mechanism is composed of a lower base 70, a support member 51, a rotating member 52, six tablet support bases 53, and a height adjusting member 90.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the lower base 70 is arranged at a peripheral 5 equal distribution position connecting the annular lower plate 71, the circular upper plate 72, the inner peripheral edge of the lower plate 71, and the outer peripheral edge of the upper plate 72. It is formed of five leg portions 73 provided and ribs 74 provided on both side edges of each leg portion 73. At the center of the upper plate 72, a screw insertion hole 75 and three holes 76 in which the convex portion 51b of the support member 51 engages are formed around the screw insertion hole 75. A drive shaft (not shown) provided at the bottom of the cassette body 3 is engaged with the inside of the lower base 70.

The support member 51 has an inverted conical shape and has the shape of a container that opens upward. A support shaft 54 that rotatably supports the rotating member 52 is projected upward at the center of the bottom surface inside the support member 51. At the upper end of the support shaft 54, a quadrangular engaging protrusion 54a to which the engaging portion 48a of the operation base 41 engages and a screw hole 54b are formed. A screw hole 51a and three convex portions 51b are formed around the screw hole 51a in the center of the outer bottom surface of the support member 51. Slits 55 are radially formed on the outer peripheral surface of the support member 51 in an inverted conical shape at positions equal to the circumference 6, and guides 55a are provided inside both side edges of the slits 55. On the outer peripheral edge of the upper end of the support member 51, an engaging recess 51c is formed in which the engaging piece 49 of the operation base 41 of the operation unit 40 is engaged at a position where the circumference 6 is equally distributed. The support member 51 is placed on the upper plate 72 of the lower base 70, the convex portion 51b is engaged with the hole 76, and is fixedly attached to the lower base 70 via the magnet plate 59c by the mounting screw 59a.

The rotating member 52 has an inverted conical shape housed in the support member 51 and has a tubular shape that opens upward and downward. Inside the rotating member 52, a cylindrical shaft portion 56 is provided so as to be supported on the inner surface of the rotating member 52 via a rib 56a. A spiral screw-shaped spiral guide 52a is formed on the outer surface of the rotating member 52. A driven gear 52b is formed on the inner surface of the upper end of the rotating member 52.

As shown in FIG. 14, the six tablet supports 53 are composed of a bottom side 53a, a first hypotenuse 53b, and a second hypotenuse 53c, respectively, and the first hypotenuse 53b and the second hypotenuse 53c form a right angle. It has a right-angled triangular plate shape. A mounting base 57 is provided on the first hypotenuse 53b, and the mounting base 57 is provided with two cylindrical engaging protrusions 57a that engage with the groove of the spiral guide 52a. The second hypotenuse 53c is located at the lower end of the tablet guideway 4b and supports the tablet at the lowest position of the tablet guideway 4b. The second hypotenuse 53c is a surface that serves as a reference for the height between the tablet support 53 and the partition member 8, and the second hypotenuses 53 of the six tablet support 53 are all at the same height.

As shown in FIG. 15A, since the spiral guide 52a is inclined by the lead angle, when the same six tablet support 53s are arranged in the circumferential direction along the groove of the spiral guide 52a, six tablets are provided. The positions of the bottom 53a of the tablet support 53 will be different. Therefore, the size of each mounting base 57 is sequentially increased so that the positions of the bottom portions 53a of the six tablet support bases 53 are the same, and the engaging protrusions 57a are sequentially provided at higher positions. As described above, since the shape of each tablet support 53 is different, 1 to 6 convex marks indicating the attachment order to the spiral guide 52a are shown on the bottom 53a as shown in FIG. 15B. 58 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 12, the height adjusting member 90 is attached to the engaging portion 47a of the notch 47 of the operation base 41 of the operating portion 40, and has a drive gear 91 at the lower end that meshes with the driven gear 52b of the rotating member 52. doing. The upper end of the height adjusting member 90 protrudes from the hole 26a on the upper surface of the base 21 of the elevating member 20 and is exposed so that the rotation can be adjusted from the outside.

The rotating member 52 is housed in the support member 51 with the six tablet support 53s engaged with each other. The opening of the support member 51 is covered by the operation base 41. In the operation base 41, the engaging piece 49 engages with the engaging recess 51c of the support member 51, and the engaging hole 48a of the protrusion 48 fits into the engaging protrusion 54a of the support shaft 54 of the support member 51. By screwing the mounting screw 59b into the screw hole 54b of the support shaft 54 of the support member 51, the mounting screw 59b is fixedly attached to the support member 51.

The mounting base 57 of the tablet support 53 is supported from both sides by the guide 55a of the support member 51, and the tablet support 53 is slidably fitted into the slit 55 of the support member 51. As a result, the tablet support base 53 supports the lowest tablet T in the tablet guide path 4b. As shown in FIG. 21, when the tablet support 53 is in the lowest position, the tip of the tablet support 53 is located at the lower end of the upper inclined inner surface 6a of the cassette body 3, so that the spiral guide 52a of the rotating member 52 is located. The position of is determined.

<Width adjustment mechanism>
FIG. 16 shows the entire width adjusting mechanism, and FIG. 17 shows the members constituting the width adjusting mechanism. The width adjusting mechanism is composed of a first movable member 61, a second movable member 62, a first support member 63, a second support member 64, and a width adjusting member 100.

The first movable member 61 has an annular base portion 61a, six wall portions 61b, a first vertical projecting piece 61c, and a first horizontal projecting piece 61d.
The base 61a rotatably fits into the leg 73 having the rib 74 of the lower base 70.
The six wall portions 61b project upward at positions such as the circumference 6 of the outer peripheral edge of the base portion 61a.
The first vertical projecting piece 61c projects obliquely outward from the right end when viewed from the front of the wall portion 61b, and forms the left side surface of the tablet guide path 4b described above. The first vertical projecting piece 61c is formed with a notch 61e into which the partition member 8 is fitted.
The first horizontal projecting piece 61d extends from the upper end of the first vertical projecting piece 61c horizontally in the circumferential direction toward the left side when viewed from the front, and forms the bottom surface of the tablet pocket 4a described above. A mounting seat 61f is provided on the inner edge of the first horizontal projecting piece 61d.

The second movable member 62 has an annular base portion 62a, six wall portions 62b, a second vertical projecting piece 62c, and a second horizontal projecting piece 62d.
The base portion 62a is rotatably fitted onto the base portion 61a of the first movable member 61 that is previously attached to the leg portion 73 having the rib 74 of the lower base 70.
The six wall portions 62b project upward at positions such as the circumference 6 of the outer peripheral edge of the base portion 62a.
The second vertical projecting piece 62c projects obliquely outward from the left end when viewed from the front of the wall portion 62b, and forms the right surface of the tablet guide path 4b described above. The second vertical projecting piece 62c is formed with a notch 62e into which the partition member 8 is fitted.
The second horizontal projecting piece 62d extends from the upper end of the second vertical projecting piece 62c horizontally in the circumferential direction toward the right side when viewed from the front, and together with the first horizontal projecting piece 61d of the first movable member 61, the tablet described above. It forms the bottom surface of the pocket 4a. A mounting seat 62f is provided on the inner edge of the second horizontal projecting piece 62d.
The tip of the second horizontal projecting piece 62d of the second movable member 62 is formed so as to overlap the tip of the first horizontal projecting piece 61d of the first movable member 61.

As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the first support member 63 has an annular shape, and a mounting seat 63a facing the mounting seat 61f of the first movable member 61 is provided on the outer peripheral surface thereof, and the mounting seat of the first movable member 61 is provided. It is attached to 61f with a mounting screw (not shown). The inner circumference of the first support member 63 has a diameter at which the guide 46 of the operation base 41 of the operation unit 40 engages. An arcuate guide 63b is formed on the inner peripheral edge of the upper surface of the first support member 63.

The first support member 63 is formed with two substantially semicircular notches 65 and elongated holes 66 adjacent to each other on the inner circumference. A protrusions 65a and B protrusions 65b facing each other in the circumferential direction are formed on the edge of the notch 65 located on the downstream side in the clockwise direction when the first support member 63 is viewed from above. The A protrusion 65a and the B protrusion 65b are cam followers that are in sliding contact with the A cam 101a and the B cam 101b of the first adjustment shaft 101, which will be described later.

As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the second support member 64 has an annular shape, and a mounting seat 64a facing the mounting seat 62f of the second movable member 62 is provided on the outer peripheral portion thereof, and the mounting seat of the second movable member 62 is provided. It is attached to 62f with a mounting screw (not shown). The inner circumference of the second support member 64 has a diameter at which the guide 63b of the first support member 63 engages. A notch 64b with which the downward protrusion 22 of the elevating member 20 engages is formed at a position where the outer peripheral edge of the second support member 64 is equally arranged at the circumference of the outer peripheral edge.

The second support member 64 is formed with two substantially semicircular notches 67 and elongated holes 68 adjacent to each other on the inner circumference. A protrusions 67a and B protrusions 67b facing each other in the circumferential direction are formed on the edge of the notch 67 located on the upstream side in the clockwise direction when the second support member 64 is viewed from above. The A protrusion 67a and the B protrusion 67b are cam followers that are in sliding contact with the A cam 102a and the B cam 102b of the second adjusting shaft 102, which will be described later.

As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the width adjusting member 100 includes a first adjusting shaft 101 and a second adjusting shaft 102. The first adjusting shaft 101 is arranged between the notch 65 and the elongated hole 68 which overlap each other. The second adjusting shaft 102 is arranged between the elongated holes 66 and the notches 67 that overlap each other. The first adjusting shaft 101 is provided with a stopper 103 that prevents the first adjusting shaft 101 from freely rotating.

As shown in FIG. 18, the first adjusting shaft 101 is formed with an A cam 101a, a B cam 101b, and a gear 101c in this order from the lower end. The A cam 101a is in sliding contact with the A protrusion 65a of the first movable member 61. The B cam 101b is in sliding contact with the B protrusion 65b of the first movable member 61. The upper end of the first adjusting shaft 101 penetrates the hole 34b of the upper base 30 and is exposed in the hole 26 of the elevating member 20, so that the rotation can be adjusted from the outside. The lower end of the first adjusting shaft 101 is supported by the hole 44a of the operation base 41.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 17, the second adjusting shaft 102 is formed with the A cam 102a, the B cam 102b, and the gear 102c in this order from the upper end. The A cam 102a is in sliding contact with the A protrusion 67a of the second movable member 62. The B cam 102b is in sliding contact with the B protrusion 67b of the second movable member 62. The gear 102c of the second adjusting shaft 102 is configured to mesh with the gear 101c of the first adjusting shaft 101. The upper end of the second adjusting shaft 102 is supported by the hole 34c of the upper base 30, and the lower end is supported by the hole 44b of the operation base 41.

<Rotor action>
Next, the operation of the rotor 4 in the tablet cassette 1 having the above configuration will be described.

Referring to FIG. 2, as described above, between the cassette body 3 and the rotor 4, a tablet pocket 4a extending in the circumferential direction on the upper side surface of the rotor 4 and a plurality of tablets extending downward from the upper side surface of the rotor 4 It has a guideway 4b.

The tablet T housed in the tablet storage portion 5 of the cassette body 3 enters the tablet pocket 4a while being stirred by the step 14 of the rotor cover 10 due to the rotation of the rotor 4, and enters the tablet guide path 4b from the tablet pocket 4a. When the tablet guide path 4b approaches the tablet discharge hole 7, the partition member 8 fixed to the cassette body 3 enters between the lowermost tablet T of the tablet guide path 4b and the tablet T above it. The tablet T above the partition member 8 is prevented from falling downward by the partition member 8. The lowest tablet T below the partition member 8 is on the tablet support 53, but since the tablet support 53 is inclined, it falls toward the tablet discharge hole 7 on the second hypotenuse 53c and discharges the tablet. It is discharged from the hole 7. The tablet T discharged from the tablet discharge hole 7 is discharged through the tablet discharge path 2a of the base 2. As a result, one tablet T is discharged each time the tablet guide path 4b turns to the tablet discharge hole 7. By adjusting the rotation angle of the rotor 4, the number of tablets T according to the prescription can be dispensed.

The tablet guide path 4b is partitioned from the depth D corresponding to the thickness of the tablet T and the tablet support 53 corresponding to the height of the tablet by using the depth adjusting mechanism, the height adjusting mechanism, and the width adjusting mechanism described above. The height H up to the member 8 and the width W corresponding to the width of the tablet T can be adjusted. Therefore, the tablet guide path 4b having an appropriate size can be obtained according to the shape and size of the tablet T housed in the cassette body 3. Each time the tablet T is different, the entire tablet cassette 1 or the rotor 4 is not replaced, and the same tablet cassette 1 or the rotor 4 is used to adjust the tablet guide path 4b to match the various tablets T, thereby discharging. be able to.

<Adjusting the depth (thickness) of the tablet guide>
In order to adjust the depth D of the tablet guide path 4b corresponding to the thickness of the tablet T, in FIG. 4, the rotor cover 10 attached to the rotor 4 is removed, and the depth exposed on the upper surface of the elevating member 20. The depth adjusting member 80 of the cover adjusting mechanism is rotated to the left or right.

Referring to FIG. 7, in the depth adjusting member 80, the gear portion 82 is restrained from moving in the axial direction by the upper base 30 and the operation base 41, and the slide portion 28 of the elevating member 20 is the guide portion 36 of the upper base 30. Since the elevating member 20 is restrained from rotating with respect to the upper base 30 by engaging, when the depth adjusting member 80 is rotated, the screw hole screwed with the male screw portion 81 of the depth adjusting member 80. The elevating member 20 having 23a rises or falls in the rotation axis direction of the rotor 4. Along with this, the inclined outer surface 22a of the downward protrusion 22 of the elevating member 20 forming the bottom surface of the tablet guide path 4b also rises or falls.

Referring to FIG. 20, the inclined outer surface 22a of the downward protrusion 22 is inclined from the outer side to the inner side in the radial direction from the top to the bottom, and the upper portion of the rotor accommodating portion 6 of the cassette body 3 has an inverted conical shape. It is parallel to the inclined inner surface 6a. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 20A, when the inclined outer surface 22a of the downward protrusion 22 of the elevating member 20 descends, the inclined outer surface 22a of the downward protrusion 22 and the inverted conical upper inclined inner surface 6a of the cassette body 3 The distance between the tablet guide path 4b can be reduced and the depth of the tablet guide path 4b can be made shallow (D1). On the contrary, as shown in FIG. 20B, when the inclined outer surface 22a of the downward protrusion 22 of the elevating member 20 rises, the inclined outer surface 22a of the downward protrusion 22 and the inverted conical upper inclined inner surface 6a of the cassette body 3 The distance between the tablet guide path 4b and the tablet guide path 4b can be increased (D2). By rotating the depth adjusting member 80 to the left or right in this way, the depth of the tablet guide path 4b can be adjusted according to the thickness of the tablet T passing through the tablet guide path 4b.

<Adjusting the height of the tablet guide>
In order to adjust the height H between the tablet support base 53 and the partition member 8 of the tablet guide path 4b corresponding to the height of the tablet T, the height adjustment exposed on the upper surface of the elevating member 20 in FIG. Rotate the height adjusting member 90 of the mechanism to the left or right. In the present invention, since the partition member 8 is fixed to the cassette body 3, the partition member 8 itself is not moved to adjust the height H of the tablet guide path 4b, but is located below the partition member 8. By raising and lowering the tablet support base 53 and adjusting the height H between the partition member 8 and the tablet support base 53, the partition position of the tablet T is relatively adjusted.

Referring to FIG. 12, since the drive gear 91 of the height adjusting member 90 meshes with the driven gear 52b of the rotating member 52, when the height adjusting member 90 is rotated, the rotating member 52 causes the support shaft 54 of the support member 51 to rotate. Rotate around. The rotating member 52 is restrained from moving up and down by the support member 51 and the operation base 41. The tablet support base 53 having the engaging protrusion 54a that engages with the spiral guide 52a of the rotating member 52 is restricted in rotation by the slits 55 of the supporting member 51 and the guides 55a on both sides thereof. Therefore, due to the rotation of the rotating member 52, the same amount of movement along the tablet guide path 4b in the direction in which all six tablet support 53s are inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the rotor 4 as the spiral guide 52a moves. Go up and down with.

That is, when the rotating member 52 rotates in one direction, as shown in FIG. 20A, the tablet support base 53 rises, and the position of the partition member 8 with respect to the tablet support base 53, that is, the partition position becomes low (H1). .. On the contrary, when the rotating member 52 rotates to the other side, as shown in FIG. 20B, the tablet support base 53 is lowered, and the position of the partition member 8 with respect to the tablet support base 53, that is, the partition position is high (H2). Become.

As shown in FIG. 21, when the tablet support 53 is in the lowest position, the tip of the tablet support 53 is located at the lower end of the upper inclined inner surface 6a of the cassette body 3, so that the tablet support 53 is the rotor 4 The space between the tablet support base 53 and the upper inclined inner surface 6a of the cassette body 3 does not increase even if the tablet guide path 4b rises in a direction inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the tablet. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the tablet from being clogged with the tablet guide path 4b regardless of the elevating position of the tablet support 53. Further, the amount of protrusion of the tablet support base 53 protruding from the inclined outer surface 22a through the slit 29 of the downward protrusion 22 is constant regardless of the elevating position of the tablet support base 53. From this point as well, the space between the tablet support base 53 and the upper inclined inner surface 6a of the cassette body 3 does not increase, so that even if the tablet support base 53 is lowered, the tablets may be clogged with the tablet guide path 4b. There is no such thing.

<Adjusting the width of the tablet guideway>
In order to adjust the width W of the tablet guide path 4b corresponding to the width of the tablet T, the width adjusting member 100 exposed on the upper surface of the elevating member 20 is rotated to the left or right in FIG.

When the first adjusting shaft 101 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 19A, the A cam 101a of the first adjusting shaft 101 slides against and presses the A projection 65a of the first support member 63, so that the first support member 63 rotates counterclockwise together with the first movable member 61.
Further, by rotating the first adjusting shaft 101 clockwise, a rotational force is transmitted from the gear 101c of the first adjusting shaft 101 to the gear 102c of the second adjusting shaft 102, and the second adjusting shaft 102 rotates counterclockwise. .. Due to the rotation of the second adjusting shaft 102, the A cam 102a of the second adjusting shaft 102 slides and presses against the A protrusion 67a of the second supporting member 64, so that the second supporting member 64 together with the second movable member 62 watches. Rotate around.

Subsequently, when the first adjusting shaft 101 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 19A, the B cam 101b of the first adjusting shaft 101 slides against the B protrusion 65b of the first support member 63 and presses the first adjusting shaft 101. The first support member 63 rotates clockwise together with the first movable member 61.
Further, due to the rotation of the first adjustment shaft 101, a rotational force is transmitted from the gear 101c of the first adjustment shaft 101 to the gear 102c of the second adjustment shaft 102, and the second adjustment shaft 102 rotates clockwise. Due to the clockwise rotation of the second adjusting shaft 102, the B cam 102b of the second adjusting shaft 102 slides and presses against the B protrusion 67b of the second supporting member 64, so that the second supporting member 64 is pressed by the second movable member 62. At the same time, it rotates counterclockwise.

In this way, the first movable member 61 and the second movable member 62 rotate in opposite directions to each other. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B, the first vertical projecting piece 61c of the first movable member 61 The distance between the second movable member 62 and the second vertical projecting piece 62c, that is, the width of the tablet guide path 4b can be reduced (W1) or expanded (W2).

<Other embodiments>
The height adjusting mechanism of the above-described embodiment uses a spiral guide, but the height adjusting mechanism is not limited to the spiral guide, and other mechanisms can be used. Hereinafter, other embodiments of the height adjusting mechanism will be described.

FIG. 22 shows the height adjusting unit 110 according to another embodiment. The height adjusting unit 110 is composed of a support member 111, a first rotating member 112, six second rotating members 113, six tablet support bases 114, and a height adjusting member 115.

Since the support member 111 is the same as the support member 51 of the above embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and the description thereof will be omitted.

The first rotating member 112 has a circular plate shape. A cylindrical shaft portion 112a is provided on the bottom surface of the first rotating member 112. A driven gear 112b is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first rotating member 112.

The six second rotating members 113 are rotatably supported on the inner surface of the supporting member 111. A male screw 113a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of each of the second rotating shafts 113. The upper end of the second rotating member 113 has a pinion gear 113b that meshes with the driven gear 112b of the first rotating member 112.

Each of the six tablet supports 114 is composed of a base 114a, a first hypotenuse 114b, and a second hypotenuse 114c, and has a substantially right triangle plate shape in which the first hypotenuse 114b and the second hypotenuse 114c form a right angle. .. A mounting base 116 is provided on the first hypotenuse 114b, and the mounting base 116 is screwed into the male screw 113a of the second rotating member 113. The second hypotenuse 114c is located at the lower end of the tablet guideway 4b and supports the tablet at the lowest position of the tablet guideway 4b.

The height adjusting member 115 is attached to the engaging portion 47a of the notch 47 of the operating base 41 of the operating portion 40, and has a drive gear 117 at the lower end that meshes with the driven gear 112b of the first rotating member 112. Similar to the above embodiment, the upper end of the height adjusting member 115 protrudes from the hole 26a (see FIG. 7) on the upper surface of the base 21 of the elevating member 20 and is exposed so that the rotation can be adjusted from the outside.

When the height adjusting member 115 is rotated left and right, the drive gear 117 meshes with the driven gear 112b to rotate the first rotating member 112, and the driven gear 112b of the first rotating member 112 meshes with the pinion gear 113b. The second rotating member 113 rotates in the same direction, whereby the tablet support 53 screwed into the male screw 113a of the second rotating member 113 moves up and down, and the distance between the partition member 8 and the tablet support 53. Can be adjusted.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims.

For example, in FIG. 21, the inclined outer surface 22a of the elevating member 20 of the rotor 4 and the upper inclined inner surface 6a of the cassette body 3 have the same inclination angle, and the height adjusting mechanism causes the tablet support 53 to protrude from the inclined outer surface 22a. The P is raised and lowered so as to be constant regardless of the raising and lowering position of the tablet support 53. Specifically, in the first embodiment, the inclination angle of the spiral guide 52a on the outer surface of the rotating member 52 is made to match the inclination angle of the inclined outer surface 22a of the downward protrusion 22, and in the second embodiment, the second rotation. The inclination angle of the member 113 is made to match the inclination angle of the inclined outer surface 22a of the downward protrusion 22. Alternatively, in the first embodiment of FIG. 21, the tablet support 53 is configured to be able to move up and down in the axial direction of the rotor 4, and a part of the tablet support 53 expands and contracts according to the height of the tablet support 53. , The protrusion amount P may be constant.

In the first embodiment, the spiral guide 52a on the outer surface of the rotating member 52 has a spiral screw shape, but may be a spiral groove.
Further, in the second embodiment of FIG. 22, the first rotating member 112 may not be provided, and the second rotating member 113 may be individually moved to adjust the position of each tablet support table 114.

T Tablet 1 Tablet cassette 2 Motor base 3 Cassette body 4 Rotor 4a Tablet pocket 4b Tablet guide 5 Tablet storage 6 Rotor storage 6a Upper inclined inner surface 6b Lower vertical inner surface 7 Tablet discharge hole 8 Partition member 10 Rotor cover 20 Lifting member 22a Inclined outer surface
30 Upper base 40 Operation part 41 Operation base 50 Height adjustment part 51 Support member 52 Rotating member 52a Spiral guide 52b Driven gear 53 Tablet support 55 Slit 60 Width adjustment part 70 Lower base 80 Depth adjustment member 90 Height adjustment member 100 Width adjusting member 110 Height adjusting part 111 Supporting member 112 First rotating member 112a Shaft part 112b Driven gear 113 Second rotating member 113a Male screw 113b Pinion gear 114 Tablet support base 115 Height adjusting member

Claims (9)

A rotor rotatably housed in a cassette body containing tablets, which is formed between an inclined inner surface of the cassette body and an inclined outer surface of the rotor, and a tablet housed in the cassette body is placed in the cassette body. A tablet guide path for guiding to the provided tablet discharge hole, a partition member provided above the tablet discharge hole of the cassette body and partitioning between the lowermost tablet and the upper tablet of the tablet guide path, and the like. A tablet support that is movably provided on the tablet guide and supports the lowest tablet in the tablet guide, and a tablet discharge height between the tablet support and the partition member by raising and lowering the tablet support. In a rotor provided with a height adjusting mechanism for adjusting the height, the height adjusting mechanism moves the tablet support up and down along the tablet guide path in a direction inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the rotor. Characterized rotor. The height adjusting mechanism includes a rotatable rotating member in which a spiral guide with which the tablet support is engaged is formed on an outer peripheral surface, and the tablet support is supported from both sides and the tablet support serves as the spiral guide. A support member that prevents movement along the same, and a height adjusting member that rotates the rotating member and raises and lowers the tablet support base engaged with the spiral guide in a direction inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the rotor. The rotor according to claim 1, wherein the rotor is provided with. The rotor according to claim 2, wherein the rotating member has an inverted conical outer peripheral surface. The support member has an inverted conical shape that covers the outside of the rotating member, and a slit is formed from which the tablet support base protrudes. The slit extends along the tablet guide path and supports the tablet support base from both sides. The rotor according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the rotor is provided. The height adjusting member has a drive gear that meshes with a driven gear formed on an inner peripheral surface of the rotating member, and can be operated from the outside, according to any one of claims 2 to 4. Rotor. The rotor includes a lower base, an operation base, and an upper base, the support member is fixed to the lower base, the operation base is fixed to the support member, and the upper base is fixed to the operation base. The rotor according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the rotor is provided. The height adjusting mechanism includes a first rotating member, a plurality of second rotating members formed with male threads that rotate in conjunction with the first rotating member and screw the tablet support, and the tablet support. A support member that supports the tablet support from both sides to prevent the tablet support from rotating around the second rotating member, and the first rotating member is rotated and the second rotation is performed via the first rotating member. The rotor according to claim 1, further comprising a height adjusting member that rotates a shaft member and raises and lowers the tablet support base in an inclined direction with respect to the rotation axis of the rotor. A rotor rotatably housed in a cassette body containing tablets, which is formed between an inclined inner surface of the cassette body and an inclined outer surface of the rotor, and a tablet housed in the cassette body is placed in the cassette body. A tablet guide path for guiding to the provided tablet discharge hole, a partition member provided above the tablet discharge hole of the cassette body and partitioning between the lowermost tablet and the upper tablet of the tablet guide path, and the like. A tablet support that is movably provided on the tablet guide and supports the lowest tablet in the tablet guide, and a tablet discharge height between the tablet support and the partition member by raising and lowering the tablet support. In a rotor provided with a height adjusting mechanism for adjusting the height, the height adjusting mechanism ensures that the amount of protrusion of the tablet support from the inclined outer surface is constant regardless of the elevating position of the tablet support. A rotor characterized by being raised and lowered. A tablet cassette comprising the rotor according to any one of claims 1 to 8.